Troops sent to Belle Plain to guard prisoners, depot, roads, &c.:

Veteran Reserve Corps (gone)............................... 1,200

Light battery (gone)....................................... 100

8th Illinois Cavalry (gone)................................ 600

Dismounted cavalry (to go)................................. 700

Railroad operatives (gone)................................. 500

Engineer Brigade (gone), about............................. 600

3,700

Already sent to General Butler:

Abbot's Artillery......................................... 1,800

Third Massachusetts Cavalry................................ 1,200

2 3,000

Making in all sent and to be sent within the next forty-eight hours to Belle Plain 24,500 men, and to General Butler 3,000; total, 27,500. I shall not fall much short of this, but is about as much as I can do. I have generally underestimated rather than overestimated.

Yours, truly,

H. W. HALLECK,

Major-General and Chief of Staff.

HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES,
May 13, 1864. (Received 6.30 p. m. 14th.)

Major-General HALLECK,

Chief of Staff:

Please telegraph General Butler to have the Richmond and Danville road cut if possible.

U. S. GRANT,

Lieutenant-General.

NEAR SPOTSYLVANIA COURT-HOUSE,

May 13, 1864.

Colonel HOFFMAN,

Commissary-General of Prisoners:

Your communication* of this date is just received. I forwarded this morning all the prisoners then on hand, with directions for the commanding officer at Belle Plain to take charge of them and to communicate with the authorities at Washington as to the disposition to be made of them. On this subject I have nothing to add. We now have more prisoners to forward, which will probably be sent to-morrow. At present the road to Fredericksburg is open to travel, and whilst re-enforcements are arriving will easily be kept open. If you have men to put on the line between the army and Fredericksburg or Belle Plain, they might [sic] here, say 12 m. and 6 p. m. daily. If you have not got men for this purpose I can detail cavalry as they are required, and will communicate at all times when there is anything to communicate. All troops coming to the front should carry all the rations they can on their persons, but we want no more wagons here. I am now sending back an additional number of wagons after supplies. I want the very smallest number of men

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* Not found.

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